What speed would a Dwarven barbarian (1st lvl) wearing heavy armor have?
The straightforward answer is "20 ft", but I'm not sure about this for two reasons:
- While it is true that a barbarian only gets fast movement when not wearing heavy armor, it is also true that the Dwarf racial trait slow and steady states that a Dwarf's speed is never modified by armor or encumbrance.
- So, say this Dwarf barbarian starts off wearing no armor. His speed is 30 ft. Say he then dons full-plate mail. If his speed were to drop to 20 ft because of this, then his speed would be modified by armor, which conflicts with his racial trait. If his speed does not drop to 20 ft because of this, then he would have +10 ft to his base speed while wearing heavy armor, which conflicts with his class feature.
- So, which trumps?
Sorry, you'll have to wait for the Gamemastery Guide for rules on drugs and addiction... ;-)
Seriously, the Racial Ability is about the speed reductions given on the tables for armor/encumbrance. Those never kick in because he's a Dwarf. THEN his Class Ability applies IF he isn't in Heavy Armor. Get it? Note though, that Mithril Full Plate counts as Medium Armor for everything but proficiency (gainable w/ a Fighter level), so the Barbarian Speed ability DOES let him have 30' Movement in Mithril Full Plate.
Sorry, you'll have to wait for the Gamemastery Guide for rules on drugs and addiction... ;-)
Seriously, the Racial Ability is about the speed reductions given on the tables for armor/encumbrance. Those never kick in because he's a Dwarf. THEN his Class Ability applies IF he isn't in Heavy Armor. Get it? Note though, that Mithril Full Plate counts as Medium Armor for everything but proficiency (gainable w/ a Fighter level), so the Barbarian Speed ability DOES let him have 30' Movement in Mithril Full Plate.
I agree that this is the most plausible solution to the apparent conflict, but is there a more general reason you read the racial ability as applying only to the speed modifications from tables 6-6 and 7-5 rather than reading it as referring to modifications to speed caused by armor more generally? Again, I agree that it is the most plausible solution (especially since on the broader reading, Mithril full-plate of speed could not positively affect the Dwarf's speed), I'm just wondering if I missed something somewhere about default interpretations of rules.
is there a more general reason you read the racial ability as applying only to the speed modifications from tables 6-6 and 7-5 rather than reading it as referring to modifications to speed caused by armor more generally?
Because what you're referring to is not a speed reduction caused by the Heavy Armor,
but a lack of a speed bonus (not a speed reduction) caused by a CLASS ABILITY no longer functioning (which happens to involve Heavy Armor).
Because what you're referring to is not a speed reduction caused by the Heavy Armor, but a lack of a speed bonus (not a speed reduction) caused by a CLASS ABILITY no longer functioning (which happens to involve Heavy Armor).
Hmm...there are some metaphysical questions there about the transitivity of causation, but thats a pretty good explanation. Thanks!